Allen funding sustains SETI

Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, January 9, 2003

Initial tests of the three radio telescopes erected so far at Hat Creek in Northern California, backed by funding from Paul Allen, appear to show that the SETI technology works.

Initial tests of the three radio telescopes erected so far at Hat Creek in Northern California, backed by funding from Paul Allen, appear to show that the SETI technology works.

Photo: SETI Institute

Allen funding sustains SETI

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The search for extraterrestrial intelligent life could have come to a grinding halt years ago without Paul Allen's steadfast philanthropic support, according to a leader of the ambitious -- and occasionally controversial -- enterprise.

"Mr. Allen has always believed this is an important project," said Jill Tartar, director of research for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).

Speaking yesterday on the closing day of the American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle, Tartar reported on successful preliminary testing of the technology behind the Allen Telescope Array, expected to begin construction this April in the Hat Creek region of Northern California.

The project, supported by an initial $11.5 million grant from Allen and $1 million from another former Microsoftie, Nathan Myrhvold, represents an innovative approach to radio astronomy that Tartar says will significantly improve our ability to scan the skies for signs of intelligent life.

Sullivan said SETI researchers have, until this, always had to beg for short periods of time using borrowed telescopes.

The Allen array, besides being a boon for SETI, also will advance radio astronomy and be available for non-SETI work, Tartar said.

"The foundation looked at this project as a way to advance new technology," said Michael Nank, spokesman for Paul G. Allen Foundations. "It creates a shared resource for astronomers around the country."

The so-called Allen telescope will actually be 350 small, 20-foot telescopes randomly spread across the arid landscape near Mount Lassen. The approach is referred to as a "massively parallel array" and represents a new strategy in radio astronomy.

Many astronomers regard it as a critical first step toward a project known as the Square Kilometer Array, a similar but much larger array of radio telescopes aimed at expanding on a proven technology. Radio telescopes have produced major discoveries in astronomy such as pulsars, quasars and the cosmic microwave background. Scientists believe expanding the power and reach of these discoveries is critical.

"The Allen array will help in deciding which direction to take in all this," said Ed Fomalont, an astronomer with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Va., who along with physicist Sergei Kopeikin reported the first measurement of the speed of gravity. "Everyone will be watching to see how the Allen array does."

Without Allen, SETI itself may not have been doing too well right now. Recent discoveries of extrasolar planets, the appearance of an ice-covered ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa and an expanded appreciation for the possibility of life in extreme environments have lent credibility to the search for extraterrestrial life.

When NASA stopped funding the SETI project in the early '90s, Sullivan said, Allen stepped in with money to keep it alive. In August 2000, he said, Allen and Myhrvold's support for the telescope project reinvigorated the entire enterprise.

"There are still naysayers for SETI," Sullivan said. But Allen's interest in this, he added, is of benefit to all of astronomy whether you believe in the search for intelligent life or not.

Yesterday, at the astronomy conference, Tartar reported that initial tests of the three telescopes erected so far at Hat Creek appear to show the technology works.

"Three down, 347 more telescopes to go," said Tartar, the model for the character played by Jodie Foster in the movie "Contact." She said it's expected to cost an estimated $40 million to complete the project, so they're still seeking funding. The Allen Foundation has made further support contingent on these measurable accomplishments.

The Allen Telescope Array will occupy 1 hectare, or 10,000 square meters, of land once completed. The plan is to have it fully operational by 2005.

Radio astronomy is basically a different way of looking out into space, using radio-frequency radiation rather than light. Most radio telescopes have large dishes to collect and concentrate this weak radiation, typically focused on a narrow frequency range.

The Allen Telescope Array gets around this limitation by using lots of smaller dishes exploring a wider frequency range. Tartar estimated that this would speed up SETI's search by at least a hundredfold.